Methods: In our study, an immunohistochemical analysis of RPS6 was performed on tissue microarrays containing 30 control samples, 15 epithelial dysplasia cases, and 53 OSCC cases. Correlations between the clinicopathologic features of OSCC and RPS6 expression were analyzed using the Chi-square test.
Results: We found RPS6 phosphorylation (p-RPS6) in 15/30 (50%) control normal oral mucosa samples, 15/15 (100%) epithelial dysplasia cases, and 47/53 (88.68%) OSCC cases. The frequency of p-RPS6 in epithelial dysplasia or OSCC showed a statistically significant difference compared to control (P < 0.001). However, there were no significant correlations between p-RPS6 and the clinicopathologic features of OSCC.
Conclusions: Our findings suggest that RPS6 activation is associated with the early events of tumor progression, suggesting p-RPS6 as a potential marker for early detection of oral cancer.